Recent Articles

Amazingly, it's time to talk turkey.
And all the fixin's -- and probably a long, long nap for many of our male readers who will be catching a little shut-eye while the female members of the family are planning their annual assault on all things retail.
If that sounds sexist, so be it. It's also based on experience -- and examples are easy to find.

Don't look now, but Turkey Day is upon us!
In just a few hours -- earlier in some homes where cooks prepare food well in advance -- ovens will be heated up, cooktops filled with pots and pans and everyone will be eagerly awaiting the fun, food and fellowship which comes with one of this country's favorite holidays, Thanksgiving.
It's a time for families to gather together and enjoy the fruits of their labor and continue a long-standing tradition that dates to our more agrarian roots when the feasts of fall followed a bountiful harves,t period.

Trying to cover the twists and turns from this election is tough, particularly on a short week -- I wrote this on Friday morning because of Thanksgiving deadlines.
There are a lot of moving parts.
It made me think of how Star Trek sci-fi engineer Montgomery Scott described transporting matter from one place to another -- which is traveling beyond the speed of light.

Today is Thanksgiving eve in America.
It's a holiday that has morphed into a day where the nation takes some time to reflect on all it has to be thankful for between eating and watching football.
Like the great nation it is part of, Franklin County has much to be thankful for.
Today I wanted to point out a few of our blessings.

FRANKLINTON -- The town's board of commissioners approved two special use permits to add to the town's housing options.
First, Michael Hurt proposed converting a single family dwelling at 312 Bowen Street into a duplex.
His brother, Mason Hurt, proposed doing the same at 304 Bullock Street.
"I know that there is a need for it," Michael Hurt said. "I feel it will benefit the community and increase property values.

FRANKLNTON -- A collapsed sewer main caused sewage to spill from the Franklin County system last week.
According to county staff, a terra cotta clay sewer pipe, which had been partially encased in concrete, collapsed on Nov. 15.
As a result, about 2,000 gallons of sewage from an eight-inch sewer main on Taylor Street spilled.
Franklin County Public Utilities staff investigated the matter and later that day, they found the source of the issue and made repairs.

LOUISBURG -- The Trustees of the Alston-Pleasants Post-Graduate Scholars Fund announced that Allison Blackburn has received a Scholarship Award to support her post-graduate studies at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston.
Blackburn is a member of the Occupational Therapy Class of 2018 at the Medical University of South Carolina, and was recently elected President of her OT class.
"I am honored to serve in a leadership position, and am looking forward to serving my classmates and professors," Blackburn said.

Mike Anderson was busy talking with visitors at the Village of Yesteryear at the North Carolina State Fair this year when a man invited him to come outside the exhibit area and listen to a musical group perform on a nearby stage.
Playing the violin -- or fiddle, if you prefer -- was Katelyn Martin of Durham who had won a free instrument from Anderson a year ago.
Anderson said he recalls enjoying the music when Katelyn stopped between songs to point him out to the crowd, thanking him for his generosity and acknowledging his skill as an instrument maker!

Franklin County 4-H'ers were busy this fall as they prepared their crafts, produce, poultry, and livestock for the 2016 NC State Fair.
Franklin County had an overwhelming 73 youth participate in the State Fair this year. There were 31 youth who entered items in crafts and 38 kids that showed livestock.
Some of the categories that these youth showed or entered items into included but are not limited to: livestock (cows, goats, sheep, and hogs), poultry, crafts in the 4-H division and other divisions, culinary, produce and canned items.

Louisburg College: America's Premier Private Two Year College.
Yes, "premier" for many students who have come and gone from an institution that has changed their lives forever.
At the "Happily Ever After" reunion, which took place Oct. 29 (Homecoming), the memories were flying everywhere, and the recollections of good times and happiness were obvious for those present (about 100 of them); five Alumni Awards were given, and LC won the football game.

LOUISBURG--Funeral services for Linwood Perry, 58, who died Sunday, Nov. 20, 2016 will be held Saturday, Nov. 26, at 1 p.m. in the Richardson Funeral Home Chapel in Louisburg. Burial will follow in the Perry's Church cemetery.

LOUISBURG - Sue Lovin Smith, 62, died Saturday, Nov. 19, 2016 at her home. The family received friends 6 - 7:30 p.m. Monday at Strickland Funeral Home & Crematory, Louisburg. A private memorial service was held.

LOUISBURG -- Following a successful regular season, Louisburg High School was able to secure a home game in the first round of the Class 1-AA State Football Playoffs.
That didn't mean, however, that the contest would be easy as Gates County brought a solid club to Patterson Field on Friday -- and left with a 34-17 decision over the Warriors.

AHOSKIE -- A tough first-round draw awaited the visiting Franklinton Red Rams in their final football season -- at least for the near future -- on the Class 2-AA level.
That campaign would close Friday night as the Red Rams were defeated 46-18 by a strong, high-powered Hertford County contingent.
Franklinton, which entered as the No. 6 seed, fell behind 20-3 after one period of action.

BUNN -- Bunn hosted a pre-game ceremony Friday to commemorate the illustrious career of retiring head football coach David Howle.
But Howle hopes he still has a dose or two of heroics remaining in his tenure as the Wildcats continue to advance through the Class 2-AA State Playoffs.
Howle's storybook night won't be his last as Bunn, after a slow start, rolled past St. Pauls by a 49-12 margin.
The second-seeded Wildcats, now 11-1 overall, will move into a second-round event next Friday at home versus Northside-Jacksonville, which was a winner at Randleman.

Franklin County's election tally finalized -- almost

Insurance fraud charges are facing local woman

School board, county at odds over bond projects

Franklin County native Wendell Tabb recently received the 2016 Sister Cities/Mayor's Award for "Promoting International Understanding."
He was nominated for the award based on his involvement with international education that has benefitted students at Hillside High School in Durham. The award was presented Oct. 21 during Sister Cities annual meeting held on the campus of North Carolina Central University.

LOUISBURG -- A state delay has pushed back the time when election results will become final, but two races could still be in the balance after the results become official on Tuesday.
County elections officials were planning to count provisional ballots on Thursday and perform the canvass on Friday, making the Nov. 8 election official.
However, the State Board of Elections notified election boards that information necessary to perform a provisional count won't come forth until later, so the county has rescheduled its provisional count until 9 a.m. Monday and the canvass at 9 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 22.

LOUISBURG -- School was not in session last Friday, but State Sen. Chad Barefoot presented a history lesson inside the Louisburg High School auditorium.
On Veterans Day, he shared the story of The Battle of Inchon -- an "ambitious amphibious" assault on a Korean island in 1950 that resulted in a decisive victory and strategic reversal in favor of the United Nations, leading to the recapture of Seoul.
It wasn't just a history lesson for Barefoot, though.

Friends of Louisburg College dedicated the Ray Hodges Fine Arts Complex on Nov. 11, paying tribute to a community leader who loved the college and the arts.
The facility, adjacent to the Jones Performing Arts Center on campus, includes a 2,100-square-foot visual arts studio, renovated teaching spaces, improved technology and a music wing.
Emily Hodges and Allison Hodges Westmoreland, daughters of Ray and Arlene Hodges, officially opened the complex in memory of their parents.

LOUISBURG -- There wasn't much pressing business on the Franklin County Board of Education's agenda this week -- although it did set up two important meetings -- so the board spent much of its Monday night session honoring others.
The board also agreed to meet at 5 p.m. Monday, Nov. 21, at the central office to discuss how the already approved bond issue will be used for various school improvements.

YOUNGSVILLE -- A town resident called out the mayor for remarks made during the board's October meeting.
"I took offense ... to one of the comments the mayor said [during the Oct. 13 meeting]," Carolyn Palmer told the board during the public comment portion of the Nov. 10 meeting. "It really hit me hard when I heard him say 'the mess that's going on in Charlotte.'"
During that Oct. 13 meeting, Mayor Fonzie Flowers informed town commissioners and residents that members of the Youngsville Fire Department were part of a mobilization effort in the Queen City to quell riots spurred by the police shooting of a resident there, referring to the resulting, violent riots as "nonsense."

Louisburg spiker Sarah Foster